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Tuesday, 29 May 2012

My definition: Heaven in your mouth, addicting, never sticks around for more than a day.

This recipe is so ridiculously easy...and SO GOOD!
It's definitely something I would recommend to beginner bakers....as well as anyone looking for an easy dessert to whip up!

My family absolutely loves making this in Summer, and we even grow rhubarb (as well as a multitude of berries) on our farm. Having fresh fruit available all summer is so wonderful...and we often mix up what kind of fruit we use in this tasty dessert as well.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

recipe by: Jordyn!

Ingredients:

6-8 cups of chopped rhubarb (depending on how much fruit you like in your Crisp...we love having a ton of fruit in ours!)

2-4 cups of sliced strawberries (raspberries are also an excellent substitute)

2/3 cup Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

3/4 cup Flour

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt

1/3 cup Butter (cold)

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 cup rolled quick cooking Oats

Directions:

Fruit Layer:

1) In a greased 9x13 glass pan, mix together the rhubarb and strawberries.

2) In a small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon; then sprinkle over top of fruit.

Crumb Topping Layer:

1) In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder.

2) Then, cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3) Stir in brown sugar and oats.

4) Sprinkle crumbs over fruit evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the fruit is tender.

Nice and easy. Stir your fruit together in the pan, and then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Then, cut in butter until coarse crumbs form, then mix in the brown sugar and oats.

Pour the mixture over top, and it's ready for the oven!

One of the best ways to enjoy this dessert is by adding ice cream!

I hope you've enjoyed this summer-inspired dessert post!
What are your favorite flavor combos in crisps?

Monday, 28 May 2012

I'm baaaackk!! After a 3-week long trip to Africa, I am finally back in Canada!

It was a WONDERFUL, life-changing, exciting, and beautiful trip and I can't wait to share more about it with you all =) So instead of a traditional "weekly wrap-up", I thought I'd share a photo journey of I've been these last three weeks & what I've been up to on the other side of the world...

We had a 19-hour layover in London on the way to Africa, so Caleb & I hit up some sights =)

I was sorely tempted to buy these... but settled for a photo instead.

Had a short layover in Zurich then after being in transit for over 24 hours, we finally reached our final destination: Nairobi, Africa!!

Led a bible study at an orphanage in Nairobi with the most wonderful kids!

Befriended this precious little girl & her baby brother in the small village of Korr in Northern Kenya...

Hung out with some Rendille women in the village... aren't they gorgeous?! (& my sincere apologies for the partial nudity, but in northern Kenya, it's really inevitable...)

We straddled the Tanzanian - Kenyan border & were in two places at one time,

just like they do in A Walk to Remember.. =)Went on an African Safari & saw TONS of cats... including a pride of 20 lions, 2 cheetahs, and even 2 leopards (which are one of the rarest animals to see on a safari!)

Not only did we see a crazy amount of animals, we also ate a few interesting ones on an adventurous dinner date. Our menu included: ostrich, crocodile, and ox testicles...yes, you read correctly. I ate ox testicles like they do in Fear Factor episodes... & I would definitely NOT recommend them to you ever.

Then we said goodbye to Kenya and spent a couple days in Zurich, Switzerland! (can you make out the alps in the distance? they were GORGEOUS)

&& finally, we arrived back in Edmonton, Alberta safe and sound, where a friendly face (our good friend Janelle) was waiting for us at the airport!

Our final destination = our bed.

Despite how much we enjoyed our trip & LOVE Africa, after being in transit for days,

our bed felt glorious! It feels good to be back home =)

But keep an eye out for a more in-depth wanderlust post on what I was up to in Kenya!

There's just sooo much more to share & I can't wait to share my experiences with ya'll.

Saturday, 26 May 2012

Spring is in the air, and summer is right around the corner. Which means it's dress time!

I bought this mini cardigan at Winners, after searching high and low for one. I love wearing dresses, but sometimes when it is too cold to wear them by themselves or at a semi formal occasion it is nice to have a cute little cardigan to go with them! It was almost exactly what I was looking for, except it had lots of gaudy fake pearls sewn around the collar. I just took some scissors, snipped all the threads, and pulled the beads right off. Instantly I had the cardigan I was looking for!

I love this style of dress. I believe it is quite flattering on my body shape (pear). I almost didn't try it on, but Kelsey convinced me to! I am so glad I did, now it is one of my favourite dresses.

The pattern is fun, the colours bright, and it is light and airy! The perfect dress for a spring day at the beach.

Friday, 25 May 2012

Jordyn briefly mentioned our trip to Granny and Grumpa's in her weekly wrap-up, but since it was such an amazing experience we thought we'd do a whole post on it!

My mom first heard of Granny and Grumpa's through Funky Junk Interiors blog, and thought it might be fun to check out. We decided to have a girl's day to make up for me being away for Mother's Day, and man did we have fun!

The above photo is just ONE of many barns on the property, each one housing enormous collections of everything you could ever imagine. To say that it was a bit overwhelming would be an understatement!

Every building held something new to discover....varying from vintage cars, old farm equipment, vintage clothing, rusty tools, and the list goes on and on!

They even had an entire room full of dolls. Let's just say that I didn't spend too long in there....a bit too creepy for me!

I think we all fell in love with this vintage cash register!

And I definitely spent a solid 5-10 minutes standing in front of their camera display, wishing that they were all for sale!

The stuff just went on and on and on....

There didn't appear to by any rhyme or reason to the organization of the place (from what I could tell), and there were some bizarre combos of stuff! A prime example would be the random pirate statue next to an old John Deere tractor!

The barns further back were a bit of an adventure....not quite as bright or clean as the front buildings, and they featured quite an eclectic mixture of items!

Although I did find an entire shelf of old mixtures!

Jordyn and I also discovered an old arcade game!

And surprise surprise....I found a cat!

Overall, it was quite the experience! We were all astonished at the sheer amount of stuff these buildings held....and we didn't even get around to seeing all of them! It was such a fun day, and I'm so glad that my mom and sister love antiquing as much as I do!

We will definitely be visiting again soon! I hope you've enjoyed going on this mini EPIC tour with me!

Thursday, 24 May 2012

I first started seeing bird nest necklaces on pinterest a few months ago, and thought they were just the sweetest thing! I found THIS tutorial on Sarah Ortega's blog, and decided to put my own spin on it.

Supplies:

-necklace chain

-jewellery wire (I used 24 gauge...but you could use 20 gauge for a thicker look)

-beads/plastic eggs

-xacto knife (optional)

I found all of these supplies at Michael's, and was so stoked to discover that they carried little plastic eggs! I had seen all sorts of beads used for these types of necklaces, but I absolutely fell in love with the idea of having "actual eggs". (I found them in the floral accessory section of Michael's).

Since the eggs didn't have pre-made holes like beads do, I had to make my own using an xacto knife. I poked a hole on each side of the egg along the seam, and then carefully twisted the knife to cut out a small hole.

Since the eggs didn't have pre-made holes like beads do, I had to make my own using an xacto knife. I carefully poked a hole on each side of the egg, along the seam, and then carefully twisted the knife to cut out a small hole.

1) Slide your first egg onto your wire about 6ish inches from the end, and twist the wire around itself to keep the egg in place. 2) Repeat with the next two eggs, and tuck the end of the wire up so that it's not poking out (you may need to trim it a bit if you have quite a bit left over). 3) Start looping your wire around and around the eggs, forming the nest. 4) Once you have several loops done, I start looping the other end of your wire up and around the nest, to help form a more stable shape.

5) Once you're happy with the size and shape of your nest, make sure you have about 2-4 inches left to string on the necklace chain. 6) Thread the wire through the last loop on both of the ends of your chain. 7) Make another twist with your wire to secure the chain (otherwise it might slide around). 8) Finally, tuck the end of the wire into the nest so it's not poking out....and you're done!

These are so quick and easy to make, and make such lovely presents! I hope you enjoy this diy!